Telephone-switch



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Telephone-Switch. No. 226,528. Patented April 13,1880.

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Telephone-Switch N0. 226,52 Patented'April13,18-80.

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v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD N. LORD, OF WAKEFIELD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TOCHARLES \VILLIAMS, JR, OF

SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

TELEPHONE-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 226,528, dated April 13,1880.

Application filed November 11 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD N. LORD, of Wakefield, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvementsin Telephone-Switches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the art of transmittingsound and messages by the use of the telephone.

It has for its object to render sound or messages sent through a wirebetween given points inaudible at any other than the initial andobjective points; and it consists not only ot'a general system,involving a main office, wire-cir- 15 cuits, battery, and a code ofsignals, but also of an improved instrument arranged in connection withthe telephones along the line, whereby the telephones on any givencircuit or circuits may be switched together and messages transmittedbetween any two, all the balance being cut out and prevented from takingup the message or conversation, as will be hereinafter more fullyexplained.

In the use of the telephone system it is necessary that a messagebetween any two stations should not be heard or picked up at any or allof the other stations.

My invention consists of improvements in devices to enable thetelephones to be used in a district system with as much privacy as maybe desired, for the reason that all stations outside of the two in useare cut out by the act of putting the said two in connection, and anyintermediate station attempting to get in on the line separates the saidtwo.

My invention consists in the devices shown and claimed for making andbreaking the circuit on either side of the station, and for cutting outthe station or telephone and restor-.

4o ing the main line, all of which I will now proceed to describe.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure l is a front 'elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a cen- 5 tralvertical section on line y y, Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line or a; of Fig.

1. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of my apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the position of parts when connection ismade to the right;

Fig. 6, a similar diagram for connection to the left; Fig. 7, a diagramshowing the position of the parts when the telephone has been removedfrom the hook; Fig. 8, a diagram showing the parts when the main line isestablished, and Fig. 9 a diagram of a district ap- 5 paratus, or mysystem.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, A represents a telephonehook, arranged in the usualcase and with the usual connections. The hook is pivoted at c, and hasanarm, b, extending inwardly, said arm being provided with a cross-bar,I), at its end. A spring, 8, isarranged to keep the arm I) depressed, sothat when the telephone is removed from the hook A the arm I) will makecontact with the spring 8 connecting to ground. Above the bar I), ateach end thereof, are two coi'ltact-plates, p p, which, when the bar I)is elevated (by the weight of the tel ephone when hung upon the hook A)and is in contact therewith, will cut out the telephone and restore themain line. I

On each side of the hook A, and parallel with it, are knobs L it, soarranged by means of springs f that when in their normal position theyare pressed outwardly by said springs. Each knob is composed of theouter part, I, which is attached to a spindle, m, (smaller in diameterthan the part 1,) which has an enlarged end, a. The knobs are arrangedin sockets q. A part of the projection 19 forms a stop for the beveledend a and keeps the knob in position. The springs fare placed around thespindles m of each knob, and, with plates '85 p p for abutmen ts, forcethe knobs outwardly. The inner ends, n, of these knobs are beveled, asshown, and each has a score, 0, upon its periphery.

When the telephone is hung upon its hook it depresses one end, a, andelevates the other, 1), until said end I) touches or makes contact withthe projections 19, and so completes the main line and cuts thetelephone from the line.

Whenever it is desired to communicate with a station on either side thetelephone is taken from its hook, which, being relieved of the Weight ofthe telephone, is thrown up at end a and depressed at end I) by thespring 8 until the end I) strikesthe spring 8, which conducts to ground,thus breaking the main line. Then, if the operator desires tocommunicate to the right side, he pushes the knob 70, which, by thebeveled end at striking the bar I), slightly elevates the bar 1) untilsaid bar reaches the score or depression 0, when it is forced into saidscore with sufiicient force to overcome the resistance of theknob-spring f, and holds said knob, thus making contact and connectionwith stations on the right side, the spring .9 still making contact withthe cross-bar b for ground-connection.

The signal being now sent to the station it is desired to communicatewith, and the operator at said station having broken the main line andmade connection to the left in the same manner as described, the two areplaced in position to communicate secretly.

The same operation on the part of the first operator would be necessaryif he desired to communicate with stations to his left, only he wouldpush in knob it instead of the knob 70.

If it is desired to communicate to anyof the stations to the leftimmediately after communicating to the right, and without hanging thetelephone upon the hook, the operator presses in the knob k, and whenits beveled end it strikes the barb it elevates said bar sufficiently torelease the end of the opposite knob k, which returns to its normalposition, thus breaking all connection with the stations to the rightand making connection with the stations on the left.

When conversation has ceased between the operators, each hanging histelephone upon its hook causes the end a to be depressed and theopposite end I), with the cross-bar b, to be elevated sufficiently tolift the bar out from the score 0, when the knob it immediately returnstoits normalposition. The cross-bar continues to be elevated by theweight of the telephone until said bar is stopped by striking thecontact-plates p 19, thus restoring the main line and cutting out thetelephone.

In Fig. 9 1 have shown a diagram of a system of telephones, Z being anannunciator in the central office, with lines therefrom, and l, 2, 3, 4,and 5 are stations, Nos. 1 and 5 being in connection and the others shutout.

I do not confine myself to the exact form of parts shown, as they may bevaried in regard to position and form without departing from the spiritof my invention. H

Heretofore it has been proposed to employ in a district telephone systema series of switches, normally constituting portions of the main line,and adapted to serve the main line and complete a circuit from the earthat any station through either fragment of the broken line on either sideof said station.

I claim- 1. The hook A, formed as described, spring 8, knobs 7c 70,formed as described, projections or springs 19 p, and spring 8, formingconnection to ground, all arranged and operating as set forth.

2. A hook to receive a telephone, adapted to automatically establish theearth-connection upon the removal of the telephone, in combination witha right and a left side stationconnecting knob, operated manually todisconnect each the other to establish a circuit to the right or left,substantially as described.

3. The combination of a telephone-hook, its cross-bar,ground-connections, and scored push-knobs, operated manually toestablish a circuit to the right or left, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a telephone-hook, its cross-bar, and operatingpush knobs, with contact-plates, substantially as described, for thepurpose of cutting out the telephone and restoring the main line.

5. The combination of a telephone-hook, its cross-bar, a depressing anda ground-connection spring, and scored knobs operated manually toestablish a circuit to the right or left, substantially as specified.

6. In a telephone-switch, an operating-knob provided with a scored andbeveled head or point, in combination with a telephone-hook to engagetherewith, and a depressing-spring, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD N. LORD.

WVitnesses J. T. COLLINS, Gno. W. PIERCE.

